PBS honors Abolition Hall of Fame in Peterboro

PETERBORO--Volunteers in Peterboro are proud of their hard work this week on an online map that will serve as a learning component for an upcoming three-episode edition of the show, "American Experience," on PBS.

In November, volunteers the National Abolition Hall of Fame and Museum, which occupies the second floor of the Smithfield Community Center, joined in partnership with "American Experience" on the Abolitionist Map of America, an interactive website that provides information on events, people and locations connected to the anti-slavery movement, said Dot Willsey, president of the National Abolition Hall of Fame and Museum.

The result

Last week, PBS announced that the Peterboro historical landmark had won the Abolitionist Map of America Pin Drive Contest by pinning the most information on abolitionists.The map features historical photos and documents along with clips of the show. The museum won the distinction of being the group that pinned the most information on the map.

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The map tells the story of the anti-slavery movement's impact on local communities, and is an extension of the three-part series which will be titled, "The Abolitionists", airing on PBS on Tuesdays- Jan. 8, 15 and 22 at 9 p.m.

Willsey and fellow museum board member Scott Hughes gathered and posted the information during a four-week period starting in early November.

Willsey said that information the museum provided includes an early history of the Smithfield Community Center. The building was the site of the Oct. 22, 1835 inaugural meeting of the New York State Antislavery Society meeting, which was being held by members of the anti-slavery movement in New York.

History notes that in the fall of 1835, notices went out announcing the meeting that was originally to be held at the Second Presbyterian Church which was on Bleecker Street in Utica.

However, after the meeting convened, it was broken up by about 80 pro-slavery individuals. Peterboro resident Gerrit Smith invited those in attendance to meet in Peterboro the following day.

So, the next day, almost 400 people descended the Peterboro Presbyterian Church, which is now the Smithfield Community Center.

Other information added by the museum to the map includes biographical information on National Abolition Hall of Fame inductees such as John Brown and Frederick Douglass.

"It's amazing that with volunteers we were able to do this," Willsey said, adding that they were in competition with museums that had full-time paid staff.

This is a huge deal for Peterboro in terms of gaining exposure for the hamlet, and Willsey said, "we looked at this as a great opportunity... It is an honor."